Descendants of Peter Espeut of St Domingue

1. Peter Espeut was born <1749>, died on 4 Dec 1798 in Jamaica ^¹ at age 49, and was buried in Kingston Parish churchyard, Jamaica.^² The cause of his death was the result of a fall from a horse. Another name for Peter was Pierre Espeut.

General Notes: There is quite a mystery about the nationality and origins of the Jamaican Espeuts. Burke's History of the Colonial Gentry published between 1891 and 1895 states that Peter was the son of William Espeut and Caroline Marlton of Standing Hall, Hertfordshire. Peter is supposed to have reached Jamaica having first served as a British soldier in Barbados (1779-1782), in Martinique (1783-1785) and finally in St Domingue during the British occupation (1793-1798), of which tour of duty Burke says: "... as Commissary-General to the Army of Occupation until the evacuation of the British, when he proceeded to Jamaica and purchased estates there.". Additionally, Burke suggests that his wife's father was an Admiral Carter and that Peter died in 1796.

Unfortunately, there are some difficulties with Burke's account. First, no trace of William Espeut or Caroline Marlton can be found and there is also no trace of a property called Standing Hall (or for that matter a parish of Standing - see below) in Hertfordshire, Herefordshire or elsewhere.

Secondly, it is possible that Peter could have served with the British in Barbados but, if that had happened, then he must have been there earlier than 1779 as he married Dorcas in about 1774 and his son William was born there in 1776; he could not have served in Martinique during the time suggested by Burke as the British occupied the island only briefly in 1762/63 and then not again until 1794.

However, Peter could well have served with the British during their occupation of St Domingue between 1793 and 1798 but not as a career soldier from a British regiment as Burke's account seeks to imply. More likely, he would have been one of the white French colonials who obtained a British commission and served with that ill-fated expeditionary force. His wife's second husband, Henri du Vergier and Henri's son Louis both took such commissions. (See the notes on his son William's military career.) That Peter is said to have been Commissary-General (or more probably some lesser rank in the Commissariat) for that expeditionary force is not surprising and is probably true, because, as a local man, he would have been much better placed than any of the British to deal with the logistics of such an expedition.

Thirdly, there are records of Espeut property in southwest of St Domingue on Cap Dame Marie, near Jérémie but, contrary Burke's assertions, Peter never owned any plantations in Jamaica — it would be surprising if he had, because he would have had very little opportunity or time to have acquired any.

Finally, Dorcas, Peter's wife, was a Barbadian and her father, John Carter, was certainly not an admiral in the British Navy; more likely he was a merchant or plantation owner. It was probably her false declaration on her marriage (her third) to James Whyte that she came from "the Parish of Standing in the County of Hertford", that later gave rise to the story of Standing Hall.

How ever it came about, it seems clear that the Espeut family, when it began to settle in England in the 1880s/1890s wished to create for itself a distinguished English heritage and so the story given to Burke set out to achieve that end. In reality, it seems very likely that the family originated in France and at some time emigrated to St Domingue where it settled. Peter may well have been a merchant as well as a plantation owner, which would account for his travels to other Caribbean islands.

Later, having used Jamaica on and off as a refuge during the St Domingan slave's rebellion in the early 1790s and having served with the British Expeditionary Force in St Domingue, Peter and William went back to Jamaica when the British withdrew from St Domingue in October 1798 and settled in Kingston amongst other similar French colonial families. (We know that Peter and William were in St Domingue in July 1798 from a surviving notarised document of the transfer from Peter to William of some property in the parish of Jérémie.) Peter died in Kingston only a few months later, aged about 49 years, as a result of a riding accident.

As a final point it is worth noting that no trace has been found of any person called Espeut being born, baptised, married or buried in England in the 19th century until after Marianne Espeut (1842-1891) and her family settled there circa 1878 nor are there any entries in any of the English censuses from 1841 to 1871 for the name of Espeut. It is hard to believe, if Peter had really had English ancestors, that there would not have been some evidence of the family name in English records during that time. Not surprisingly perhaps, there is no lack of such evidence in France; the strongest being in the records of the Department of Aude, particularly at Auriac and Mouthoumet.

If indeed Peter was born in St Domingue, then it may never be possible to discover who were his parents and so trace the family back to its ancestors in France. This is because most of the surviving records for births, deaths and marriages in that island only cover last two or three decades before the slave's rebellion. ³ ^,4 ^,5 ^,6 ^,7 ^,8

Peter married Dorcas Louisa Carter, daughter of John Carter and Katharine Sims, in 1774. Dorcas was born in 1753, was baptised on 19 Oct 1753 in St Michael's Parish, Barbados,^⁹ and died on 24 Aug 1817 ^{¹⁰^,11} at age 64.

General Notes: Dorcas's first marriage to Peter Espeut is one of the enigmas of the Espeut story; it is rather surprising that Peter, who without doubt was a French colonial from St Domingue and very likely a native of that island (he is described as a Creole in certain documents), should have taken a non-Catholic woman from a British colony as his wife; Dorcas was after all a second generation Barbadian, at least on her mother's side. Perhaps, they were much drawn to each other.

Whatever the circumstances of their marriage, Dorcas obviously became quite at home in St Domingue amongst the French plantation owners and merchants. In all probability, she and the family, like so many of the St Domingan "plantocracy", would have been amongst those who fled to Jamaica when the slaves revolt started in 1791. Whether or not she returned to St Domingue when Peter and William joined the British Expeditionary Force is not known but she must have gone back there later for she married, in May 1800, the widower Henri du Vergier, Marquis de la Rochejaquelein, whom she must have met in St Domingue or in Kingston. It is said that whilst she lived in Kingston she kept a boarding house, probably for fellow refugees from St Domingue.

Henri du Vergier came from an ancient and illustrious family that had its seat at Durbelière, near St Aubin de Baubigné in the Department of Deux-Sèvres. In 1792, when the position of most noblemen in France had become untenable due to the revolution, he took his wife and the younger members of his family to England (his eldest son Henri, then a young officer in the King's Guard, and his eldest daughter Constance, who was married, remained in France). Leaving the younger children in London, he set out with his wife and son Louis for St Domingue where his wife owned an estate inherited from her great grandfather. It seems that they were not long there before they were forced to seek refuge in Jamaica along with the other St Domingan plantation owners.

In Jamaica, Henri & Louis secured commissions in the British Army and fought for several years with the ill-fated British Expeditionary Force which sought, between 1793 and 1798, to capture St Domingue for the British Crown. Shortly after the British withdrew Henri's wife died in the December of 1798 and in May 1800 he married Dorcas.

Henri's sons, Henri and Louis, were the "Messieurs de la Rochejaquelein" who won fame as royalist generals in the wars of the Vendéans against the National Convention. Henri, jnr, being killed in January 1794 and Louis in June 1815.

After Henri, sen., died in 1802 in St Domingue (the result of an old wound opening up), Dorcas went to London where she met another widower, James Whyte, whom she married in August 1804. ¹² ^,13 ^,14

+ 3 M ii. William Francis Espeut ¹¹ was born in 1776 in Barbados ^{⁶^,11^,15} and died on 11 Jul 1846 in Hope Hill, Parish of Metcalfe, Jamaica ^¹¹ at age 70.

4 M iii. Louis Augustus Espeut was born <1777> and died on 6 Sep 1799 ^¹⁰ at age 22. (Twin)

5 F iv. Dorcas Espeut was born <1777> ^¹⁰ and died on 4 Sep 1799 ^¹⁰ at age 22. (Twin)

Second Generation

3. William Francis Espeut ¹¹ was born in 1776 in Barbados ^{⁶^,11^,15} and died on 11 Jul 1846 in Hope Hill, Parish of Metcalfe, Jamaica ^¹¹ at age 70. Another name for William was Guilliame François Espeut.

General Notes: William is said to have finally settled in Jamaica in 1798; he would have been 22 years of age in that year. It is believed that prior to that time he saw military service, very likely, with the British Expeditionary Force of 1793-1798 that attempted to capture St Domingue for the British Crown.

William's property in St Domingue, of which more later, and the fact that he chose to settle in Jamaica with the French refugees from St Domingue seem important pointers to the nationality and origins of the Espeut family.

The records of Indemnity Claims made by those who had lost their properties in the revolution in St Domingue show that William had owned five habitations and three pieces of land in the parish of Jérémie (The Heights of Irois & Les Irois) and also had a half share in another habitation and some land at Cap Dame Marie. All of these properties were at the westernmost side of the island where his father, Peter, is known to have lived.

We know from a document notarised in July 1798 that William's father sold him a habitation in the Jérémie parish at that time, which was shortly before he and his father went back to Jamaica around the time of the withdrawal of the British expeditionary force from St Domingue. How the other properties came into William's possession is unknown but it seems likely that he obtained or inherited them from his father¹. This means that the Espeuts had been well established in St Domingue and well integrated into the French colonial society there; these seems unlikely circumstances for an English family with a military background, given, inter alia, the long conflicts between the British and French in those times.

The fact that William later chose to settle in Jamaica and his close ties with other French families that settled there from St Domingue, would also be surprising had his father and mother had both been English and their connection with St Domingue as limited as that suggested by Burke. A displaced English 22 year-old might well have chosen to go 'home', which is exactly what his mother did after her second husband² died in September 1802, or at least continued his army career with the British. However, William was clearly comfortable amongst the French refugees from St Domingue, which leads one to suppose that he had been brought up, despite his birth in Barbados, as the son of a French colonial on that island.

NOTES

¹ No Will has been discovered for Peter. Given the confusion in St Domingue in the period after 1791, Peter's brief time in Jamaica before he died in 1798 and the manner of his death, it is quite possible that he did not, in fact, make a Will; certainly, there is no record of one in any of the Jamaican Registers.

² Henry du Vergier, Marquis de Rochejaquelein ⁷ ^,16

• Military Service: ¹¹ ^,17 ^,18 William is said to have been an Ensign in the 75th Regiment of the French Army. This might have been a possibility if he had been educated in France as has also been suggested. However, it seems very unlikely that in 1794, when he would have been 18, he would have left the Caribbean for France to serve there under the republican regime; the white French plantation owners in St Domingue were staunchly royalist at that time, not least, because of the threat to their livelihoods on account of the abolition of slavery by the new government.

It is more likely that he served under the British flag in the St Domingan campaign between 1793 and 1798 with his father. France had declared war on Britain in February 1793 but when the British Expeditionary Force landed at Jérémie in September of that year they were widely welcomed by the white French colonials who, it is said, had agreed to support the British attack on the understanding that they would restore the pre-revolution status quo. Indeed, many of these French took commissions in the British army and fought with them there. Amongst those known to have done so were William's future step-father, Henri du Vergier, Henri's son Louis and, also, the Desgouttes brothers Louis and Charles. (Louis Desgouttes's son later married William's daughter Louise)

Initially, the British force, helped by a superior naval presence, was successful in occupying and holding most of the western sea-board towns between St Nicholas in the north to Jérémie in the south. However, after the Spanish/French peace treaty in 1795, the Spanish who had been attacking St Domingue from the east withdrew to their own part of the Island leaving the British force to face the full thrust of St Domingan resistance. Low morale, large troop losses due to yellow fever and armed action, and opposition to the venture in London, finally had its effect and the British, under Brig. Gen. Thomas Maitland, negotiated a treaty with the French General Toussant L'Ouverture in October 1798 and made an orderly withdrawal. It may be, therefore, no coincidence that William is said to have finally settled in Jamaica in that year.

If William did fight with the British in those early years, then his enthusiasm for soldiering continued because between about 1816 and 1843 he served in his local Jamaican Militia, rising eventually to rank of Major.

• Occupation: Jamaica. ¹⁷ ^,19 It is not known what William did in his early years in Jamaica. At the time of his marriage in 1802 and in 1804 when his first child was born he is said to have been resident in Kingston. In 1807 his daughter Louise was born in Kingston, so the family had not yet moved out of the City.

By 1816, however, William had acquired property in the Parish of St George, possibly Fairburn Hill or Hope Hill or indeed both, and had joined the Militia there as an Ensign. Certainly, later, he is recorded in the Jamaican Almanacs as owning the Fairburn Hill or Hope Hill estate which amounted to about 500 acres.

By 1823 he has taken on the role of Collecting Constable for the Parish and by the following year he has become Inspector and Collector of Rum Duties. Later still, in 1832 we find him as Inspector of Weights & Measures; a role he continued for the Parish of Metcalfe, which was created in 1841 out of the Parishes of St George and St Mary. William's property, presumably, fell within the new Parish's boundaries .

Also, for twenty years or so, William was a Justice of the Peace and an Assistant Judge at the Court of the Parish of St George and later that of Metcalfe.

• Report of death: Jul 1846, Kingston, Jamaica. ²⁰ On the 11th July 1846 at Hope Hill Plantation in the parish of Metcalfe at the age of 70, William Francis Espeut Esquire, after a protracted & painful illness which he bore with great fortitude and resignation. Mr Espeut was a very old inhabitant having settled in the island in the year 1798 & was senior magistrate in the parishes of St George's and Metcalfe. He leaves several children, grandchildren and many friends to mourn his departure from this life.
Requiat in Pace

William married Joséphine Périne Adèle Du Bourg,²¹ daughter of Joseph Thomas Patrice Du Bourg and Joséphine Charlotte Bénigne Bruslé, on 18 Dec 1802 in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston, Jamaica ⁶ ^,10 ^,11.^,15 Adèle was born <1788> ^{¹⁰^,22} and died on 12 Jan 1820 in Mount Catherine, St Catherines Parish, Jamaica ^{¹⁰^,23} at age 32.

• Wedding: 18 Dec 1802, Kingston, Jamaica. ²⁴ William's & Adèle's wedding ceremony is recorded in the archives of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston and is interesting not only because of its detail but also because it records all the witnesses who were present. The text below is taken from translation from the French by Louis Malabre:-

The year one thousand eight hundred and two, the eighteenth day of the month of December, after one publication of the Banns of future marriage between Mr. William Francois Espeut, elder and legitimate son of the late Mr. Pierre Espeut, in life a resident of the district of Grande Aux¹, in the Island of St Domingue, and of Madame D...... M......², Dame Espeut, his father and mother; the said Sieur, William Espeut, a native of the island of Barbadoes, and living in this town, of the first part; and Josephine Perrine Adele du Bourg, demoiselle, younger and legitimate daughter of the late Messire Joseph Thomas Patrice du Bourg de la Loubere, and of Madame Josephine Charlotte Bénigne Bruslé, widow du Bourg, her father and mother; the said demoiselle - a native of Cap Francais, residing in this town at the house of Madame, her mother, and acting under her authority and with her approval - of the other part; the said publication made in the sermon at our parochial mass, Sunday, nineteenth of the present month without any protest or disclosure of impediment, coming to our attention, We, priest, former Canon of the Church of Mans, and now Apostolic Missionary serving the Roman Catholic Church of Kingston, Island of Jamaica, the undersigned, have granted two parties full dispensation from the publication of the other two Banns, which time prohibits; and have solemnly received the mutual consent of marriage from the aforesaid parties and have given them the nuptial blessing according to the usages, customs and ceremonies described by our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church; and ????³ and ????³ the consent of Madame, his absent mother, the said consent written at London the...... day of the month of...... of the year one thousand eight hundred...... .

Present at the said ceremony, and approving, Madame Josephine Charlotte Bénigne Bruslé, widow du Bourg, the brides mother, Madame Victoire Charlotte Chauvet [du Broeuil??] widow of Mr Antoine Exupère Bruslé, the bride's maternal grandmother; and also in the presence of Mr. Bernard Prieur, Mr. Hypolite de la Villéon, Mr. François Charest de Lauzon, Mr. Bernard de la Biche de Reignefort, Mr. Jean Lois Lajeune, Mr. Frederic Roux, all residents of St Domingue and living in this town of Kingston, Island of Jamaica, witnesses required by us, who have testified to the age, qualifications and domicile of the aforesaid parties and have signed with us - as also the bride, the groom, the mother, and the representatives of the groom's mother and many other parents and friends, all present and living in this town.

[Signed:]} Prieur, Bruslé du Bourg, Wm. Espeut, Adele du Bourg Charest, H^e de la Villeon, Fred Roux, F^rs Charest de Lauzon, C. Du Borg, La Biche de Reignefort, Chauvet V[euve][widow] Bruslé, Victoire Jonison, Lajeune, Elizabeth Bruslé, Angelique Bruslé...
De L'Espinasse, Pastor of the Roman Catholics of Kingston, Island of Jamaica.

NOTES
¹ There is no district or parish in St Domingue of this name. Very likely L. Malabre misread the indistinct text; the name is much more likely to be Grande Anse, near Jérémie, which is the region in which Wm. Espeut is known to have had property.

² L. Malabre was unable to decypher the names here. The D...... would have been Dorcas but the M...... may well have been a misreading as none of Dorcas's surnames began with the letter 'M'. As she is said to be in London, she must have left St Domingue more or less immediately after Henri du Vergier died in September 1802.

³ L. Malabre was unable to translate these two pieces. According to him, the second of them reads in French "nous ayant montie" but this could also be a misreading. Perhaps, it means "we have been shown" which would make sense of the rest.

A final thought. Why did time not permit the publishing of the other two Banns? Why was there such a rush? Adèle does not appear to have been pregnant though she was very young being only 14 years of age. It is also interesting to note that William and she went through an Anglican marriage service two years later on 5th April 1804.

6 M i. Joseph Marie Louis Espeut ²⁵ was born on 20 May 1804 in Kingston, Jamaica,^²⁵ died on 21 May 1804 in Kingston, Jamaica,^²⁵ and was buried on 21 May 1804 in Holy Trinity Cathedral Cemetery, Kingston, Jamaica.^²⁶ Another name for Joseph was Jose Maria Luys Espeut.

General Notes: The only record that we have of Joseph's names is in the Registers of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston. In this particular case, the entry is in Spanish (over the years, several of the Rectors of Holy Trinity were of Spanish origin) and hence Joseph's forenames are the Spanish equivalent of what are probably French forenames. They are those of Adele's brother, Louis Joseph Marie Arnould du Bourg.

Why Joseph, as the first born son, was named after the du Bourg side of the family and not the Espeut line is unclear. Perhaps it was to please grandmother du Bourg.

8 F iii. Louise Charlotte Espeut ²⁸ was born on 24 Jul 1807 in Kingston, Jamaica,^²⁸ was baptised on 10 Apr 1824 in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston, Jamaica,^²⁹ and died on 2 Oct 1891 ^³⁰ at age 84.

Louise married Edward Augustus Harrison,³¹ son of Lt. Col. Robert Munroe Harrison and Margaret ———, on 6 Feb 1841 in Jamaica.³¹ Edward was born on 28 Sep 1819 ^³⁰ and was baptised on 11 Apr 1827 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire.^³²

9 M iv. William James Louis Espeut ¹¹ was born on 23 Mar 1808 ^{¹⁰^,11} and died on 2 Jul 1854 in Parish of St Mary's, Jamaica ^{¹⁰^,11} at age 46. The cause of his death was cholera.

• Report of death: Jul 1854, Kingston, Jamaica. ³³ On Sunday morning the 2nd July 1854 of malignant Cholera at New Macuble? Estate in the Parish of St Mary's, William James Espeut Esq. at the early age of 46 yrs. As a planter, from his skilful management of estates & steady control of the labouring population which a long experience had produced, he had acquired the confidence & esteem of the several employers under whom he had served until at length he had attained the management not only of the estate on which he died but the adjoining ones belonging to the same owner. As a justice of the peace, from his conciliating demeanour and just decisions he was respected by all classes of the inhabitants. He was the brother of Peter A. Espeut, Member for this City & Official Assignee for the County of Middlesex by whom he is mourned and by his numerous friends deeply lamented.

+ 12 M vii. Peter Alexander Espeut ¹¹ was born on 23 Aug 1816 in Hope Hill, Parish of Metcalfe, Jamaica ^¹¹ and died on 11 Jun 1868 in The Retreat, St Andrews, Jamaica ^{¹¹^,35} at age 51.

Third Generation

Caroline married Louis Honoré Desgouttes,¹¹ ^,39 son of Louis Corre Desgouttes and Victoire Michelle Aimee Marie de Gournay, on 17 Sep 1835 in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston, Jamaica.³⁴ Louis was born on 18 Dec 1807 in Kingston, Jamaica ^³⁹ and was baptised on 31 Oct 1825 in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kingston, Jamaica.^⁴⁰

14 F i. Amelia Louise Corre Desgouttes ⁴¹ was born in 1838 in Kingston, Jamaica ^⁴¹ and died on 14 Aug 1895 in New Orleans, Louisiana ^⁴¹ at age 57.

12. Peter Alexander Espeut ¹¹ was born on 23 Aug 1816 in Hope Hill, Parish of Metcalfe, Jamaica ^¹¹ and died on 11 Jun 1868 in The Retreat, St Andrews, Jamaica ^{¹¹^,35} at age 51.

Peter married Virginia Fairfax Harrison, daughter of Lt. Col. Robert Munroe Harrison and Margaret ———, on 21 Jul 1837 ¹¹.^,36 Virginia was born on 28 Aug 1821,^⁴⁴ was baptised on 11 Apr 1827 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire,^³² died on 5 Nov 1841 in Jamaica ^⁴⁴ at age 20, and was buried on 6 Nov 1841 in Kingston Parish Church, Jamaica.^{⁴⁵^,46} Another name for Virginia was Elisabeth Virginia Fairfax Harrison.³²

+ 16 F i. Emma Christina Espeut ¹¹ was born on 8 May 1838 in Jamaica,^¹¹ died on 9 Nov 1894 in 44, Church Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex ^{¹¹^,47} at age 56, and was buried in Hastings Municipal Cemetery, Hastings, Sussex.

17 F ii. Virginia Margaret Grosett Espeut ⁴⁸ was born on 28 Oct 1839,^⁴⁸ died on 7 Jan 1841 in Jamaica ^⁴⁹ at age 1, and was buried in Kingston Parish Church, Jamaica.^⁵⁰

Marriage Notes: Marianne and Peter were married by special licence at 2am on September 18th 1842 at her dying father's bedside. He lived for another 19 hours. ⁵⁵

+ 18 M i. Hon. William Bancroft Espeut F.L.S. ¹¹ was born on 21 Jul 1843,^¹¹ was baptised on 23 Aug 1843 in Kingston Parish Church, Jamaica,^⁵⁷ died on 23 Oct 1892 in 17 Fopstone-road, London. S.W. ^{⁵⁸^,59} at age 49, and was buried on 26 Oct 1892 in Chiswick Old Cemetery, Chiswick, Middlesex.^⁶⁰

19 M ii. Charles Allen Bancroft Espeut ¹¹ was born on 21 May 1845,^{¹⁰^,11^,48} was baptised on 25 Jul 1845 in Kingston Parish Church, Jamaica,^⁶¹ died on 12 Nov 1850 in Jamaica ^{¹¹^,48^,62} at age 5, and was buried in Kingston Parish Church, Jamaica.^⁶³ The cause of his death was cholera.

20 M iii. Edward Mackenzie Bancroft Espeut ¹¹ was born on 31 Dec 1849,^{¹⁰^,11} was baptised on 6 Jun 1850 in St Andrews Parish Church, Half Way Tree, Jamaica,^⁶⁴ and died on 6 Aug 1867 in The Retreat, St Andrews, Jamaica ^{¹⁰^,11} at age 17. The cause of his death was yellow fever.

• Employment: 1866.1867, Spanish Town, Jamaica. ⁶⁵ Teddy, according to his father, secured "a capital appointment in the Governor's financial office in Spanish Town" sometime in the autumn of 1866 and was presumably still employed there when he died about a year later at the age of 17.

• Report of death: Aug 1867, Kingston, Jamaica. ⁶⁶ At the Retreat, St Andrews, on Tuesday the 6th, Edward MacKenzie Bancroft Espeut aged 17 years, 8 months & 6 days the third son of the Honorable Peter Alexander Espeut, Custos Rotulorum of the parish of St Thomas. The deceased was attacked by the prevailing [yellow] fever & fell a victim after a brief illness. He was a dutiful and loving son and affectionate brother & was held in great esteem by a large circle of friends. His career in life on which he had just entered was most promising & his early demise has proved a deep source of anguish to his parents & relatives by whom his death is greatly lamented.

21 F iv. Ella Augusta Bancroft Espeut ¹¹ was born on 2 May 1852 ^{¹⁰^,11} and died on 12 May 1902 in 13 Grosvenor Road, Gunnersbury, Chiswick ^{¹⁰^,67^,68} at age 50.

23 F vi. Helen Bancroft Espeut ¹¹ was born on 19 Jun 1855 ^{¹⁰^,11} and died on 25 Feb 1929 ^⁷⁰ at age 73.

Nellie married Hildebrand Henry Oakes,³⁸ son of Sir Henry Thomas Oakes and Frances Jane Douglas, on 24 Jun 1899.³⁸ Hildebrand was born in 1829 in Tournay, Belgium,^⁷² died on 19 Nov 1925 in Oakholm, 13, Grosvenor-road, Chiswick ^{⁷⁰^,73} at age 96, and was buried on 23 Nov 1925 in Brompton Cemetery, London.^⁷⁴

24 F vii. Henrietta Alice Bancroft Espeut ¹¹ was born on 30 Mar 1857 ^{¹⁰^,11} and died on 25 Feb 1894 in Beaufort House, Oxford-road, Gunnersbury ^{¹¹^,76} at age 36. The cause of her death was meningitis.

25 M viii. Henry du Bourg Bancroft Espeut was born on 9 Apr 1859 ^¹¹ and died on 9 Aug 1896 in South Africa ^⁷⁷ at age 37. The cause of his death was cyanide poisoning.

General Notes: Henry was prospecting in Africa at the time of his unfortunate death. ³⁸

Medical Notes: Henry's tragic death is reputed to have been caused by him eating some biscuits on to which hydrogen cyanide had leaked. ³⁸

+ 26 F ix. Julia Ursula Bancroft Espeut ¹¹ ^,78 was born on 17 May 1861 in The Retreat, St Andrews, Jamaica,^¹¹ was baptised on 2 Jan 1862 in St Andrews Parish Church, Half Way Tree, Jamaica, died on 5 Jun 1939 in 385 High-road, Chiswick, Middlesex ^{⁷⁹^,80} at age 78, and was buried on 9 Jun 1939 in Chiswick Old Cemetery, Chiswick, Middlesex.^⁸¹

28 F xi. Pauline Charlotte Espeut ¹¹ was born on 3 Aug 1867 ^{¹⁰^,11} and died on 9 Jul 1871 ^{¹⁰^,11} at age 3.

Fourth Generation

16. Emma Christina Espeut ¹¹ was born on 8 May 1838 in Jamaica,^¹¹ died on 9 Nov 1894 in 44, Church Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex ^{¹¹^,47} at age 56, and was buried in Hastings Municipal Cemetery, Hastings, Sussex.

• Grant of Administration: 18 Dec 1894, London, England. ⁸⁴ Effects £128 8s 6d

Emma married Lt. Col. William Newcomen Watts,¹¹ son of Ponsonby Watts and Mary ———, on 10 May 1855.¹¹ William was baptised on 25 Apr 1823 in East Teignmouth, Devon ^⁸⁵ and died on 19 Apr 1885 in Bagnères de Luchon, France ^{¹¹^,86} at age 61.

29 M i. Col. Ponsonby William Espeut Watts ⁸⁶ was born on 14 Jan 1856 in Jamaica,^⁸⁶ was baptised on 15 May 1856 in Spanish Town, Jamaica,^⁸⁶ died in 1908 ^⁸⁶ at age 52, and was buried in South India.^⁸⁶

30 M ii. Cecil Hobart Watts ⁸⁶ was born on 6 Jun 1857 in Jamaica,^⁸⁶ died on 3 Sep 1902 in Bombay, India ^⁸⁶ at age 45, and was buried on 4 Sep 1902 in Sewri Cemetery, Bombay Presidency, India.^⁸⁷ The cause of his death was Bright's Disease.

Cecil married Georgina Agnes MacCarthy ⁸⁶ on 30 Aug 1892 in St Thomas's Cathedral, Bombay.⁸⁶

31 F iii. Virginia Mary Elizabeth Emmie Watts was born on 25 Jun 1859 in Colchester, Essex,^⁸⁶ died on 2 Jan 1939 in 27 Wolseley Gardens, Chiswick ^⁸⁸ at age 79, and was buried in Chiswick New Cemetery, London.

• Grant of Administration: 27 Apr 1939, London, England. ⁸⁹ Effects £245 15s 2d

32 F iv. Ada Katherine Memie Watts was born on 27 Dec 1860 in Chhindwara, Madras Presidency, India,^⁸⁶ was baptised on 3 Apr 1861 in Secunderabad, Madras Presidency, India,^⁹⁰ died on 8 Jan 1939 ^{⁷⁹^,91} at age 78, and was buried on 14 Jan 1939 in Chiswick New Cemetery, London.^⁹¹

• Report of death: 14 Jan 1939, Chiswick, London. ⁹² The Chiswick Times reported Ada's death:-

IN DEATH NOT DIVIDED.

Two Chiswick Sisters Die Within a Week

Last week we announced the death of Miss Emmie Newcomen-Watts, at the age of 78 years. It occurred at her residence, 27, Wolseley-gardens, Chiswick, last Monday week. Now we regret to say that her sister, Miss Ada Newcomen-Watts, has also died, less than a week after her sister. They were daughters of the late Colonel Newcomen-Watts, of the Royal Scots, and had been well known in Chiswick for many years, chiefly because of their very active assistance on flag days held in the borough. Miss Ada Newcomen-Watts will be buried at 12.30 to-day in the same grave as her sister in Chiswick New Cemetery.

33 M v. Charles George Newcomen Watts ⁸⁶ was born on 10 Aug 1862 in Chhindwara, Madras Presidency, India,^⁸⁶ was baptised on 4 Dec 1862 in Secunderabad, Madras Presidency, India,^⁹⁴ and died on 20 Apr 1935 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada ^⁸⁶ at age 72.

34 M vi. Arthur Peter Watts ⁸⁶ was born on 6 Mar 1864 in Chhindwara, Madras Presidency, India ^⁸⁶ and died in Canada.^⁸⁶

35 M vii. Edward Acton Watts ⁸⁶ was born on 16 Apr 1868 in Coonoor, Madras Presidency, India,^⁸⁶ was baptised on 22 Apr 1868 in Coonoor, Madras Presidency, India,^⁹⁵ died on 1 May 1868 in Coonoor, Madras Presidency, India,^⁸⁶ and was buried on 2 May 1868 in All Saint's Cemetery, Coonoor, Madras Presidency, India.^{⁸⁶^,96}

18. Hon. William Bancroft Espeut F.L.S. ¹¹ was born on 21 Jul 1843,^¹¹ was baptised on 23 Aug 1843 in Kingston Parish Church, Jamaica,^⁵⁷ died on 23 Oct 1892 in 17 Fopstone-road, London. S.W. ^{⁵⁸^,59} at age 49, and was buried on 26 Oct 1892 in Chiswick Old Cemetery, Chiswick, Middlesex.^⁶⁰ The cause of his death was pneumonia, pluresy and cardiac failure.⁹⁷

General Notes: Journal of the Institute of Jamaica

Volume 1, Number 6, Page 240-241 of

William Bancroft Espeut was born at Sabina Park near Kingston in Jamaica, on the 21st day of July, 1843. He was the eldest son of Peter Alexander Espeut, Custos of St Thomas, by his second wife Marianne Augusta, daughter of Dr Edward Nathaniel Bancroft, F.R.S. His education was completed at Ipswich in England, and on his return to Jamaica he entered service in the Colonial Bank in Kingston. He subsequently entered the Colonial Secretary's office which he left on the death of his father in 1868. While in this service he acquired much information into the ways of government and the official life and duties, which was of great used to him afterwards in his political career.

He married on 25th of October, 1870, Bessie Adela, elder daughter of Lt. Colonel Armit, Royal Engineers, by whom he had three sons and three daughters.

After his marriage he settled in Portland where he acquired a sugar estate and considerable lands adjoining. He devoted many years to the cultivation of the sugar cane and was one of the pioneers of banana cultivation on an extensive scale. His active mind would not allow him to rest content with the modes of manufacture of sugar around him, and he became the patentee of improved methods. The difficulties of the supplier of labour and low prices forced him to abandon the cultivation of sugar cane. He personally planned and supervised the construction of a tram line connecting the outlying portions of his estates with the sea, a work which was creditably executed.

On the 27th day of August, 1886, he was elected unopposed a member of the Legislative Council for the parishes of Portland and St Thomas, and in March 1889, was re-elected unopposed by the same constituency. On his first election he promised his constituents to get their dangerous rivers bridged and the benefits of the Railroad extended through the island. These promises he fulfilled. It was in his position as a public and representative man that his great talent and ability showed themselves. As a legislator he was very successful and of all subjects which came before the Legislature he had a complete and most intelligent grasp. He understood thoroughly the finances of the country and rendered invaluable service to the country in placing the difficult question of immigration, postal service, and the money order system, education including industrial education, and the botanical department in an intelligible light before the country. To his ability and energy is due on the establishment of the Institute of Jamaica, of which he was a Governor, on its present basis. As a debater in the Legislative Council he had not his superior and he was about the best informed on the practice of Parliament. To his energies and to him alone is due the bridging of the rivers in Portland and St Thomas; he had persistently to struggle against the timidity of Government to incur debt and a lukewarm support from his colleagues. If but for this work alone, he deserved the gratitude of his country.

He was in every respect a brilliant man, a charming companion, a good friend and a most loving and devoted husband and father.

It was not surprising that a man who stood intellectually so far above his average countrymen should have aroused their jealousy and in some sad cases their hate; but he was much appreciated in England where he was a Fellow of the Linnean Society, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a member of such clubs as the St Stephen's, the Conservative and the Savage Club. After his retirement to England in 1891 the high mark of appreciation of the man was soon shown by his being elected a member of the Parliamentary Committee of the St Stephen's Club. During his short residence in London he was always busying himself in the interests of Jamaica, and in the assembly of delegates from the Chambers of Commerce of the Empire held last summer in London, he did not fail as representative of the Institute of Jamaica to make his mark and to attract the favourable attention of Sir Charles Tupper, the Canadian statesman.

His useful life was brought to an end at an early age in London on the 23rd day of October, 1892, after six days illness, by an attack of pneumonia.

• Will: 15 Jun 1881, Jamaica. ⁹⁸ He left his wife an interest in his estate (without any impeachment of waste; i.e. she was not committed to preserving the assets) during her lifetime or widowhood. In the event of her dying or remarrying, his estate was to be split equally between his surviving children.

William appointed his wife, the Hon. Wellesley Bourke & Ernest Edward Lake a solicitor in London as his executors.

• Report of death: 26 Oct 1892, Kingston, Jamaica. ⁹⁹ This report was published three days after he died:

We regret exceedingly this morning, to recall the death of the Hon. W. B. Espeut at his residence in London. The first intimation of the sad event reached this island by telegram yesterday, and later in the day was confirmed by the telegrams of the West India and Panama Telegraph Co. The death of the deceased gentleman seems to have been sudden and unexpected, but no particulars are to hand. By the death of Mr Espeut, Jamaica has lost one of her ablest sons. Whatever faults may be charged against him, no one has ever denied his great abilities, his wide range of knowledge, his enthusiastic support for anything he thought right. To Mr Espeut the parishes of St Thomas and Portland owe their bridges. Many will remember the persevering manner in which he pegged away at this matter until he got the Government first to recognise the necessity of the bridges and then to raise the necessary loan to build them. To Mr Espeut the colony owes the introduction of the postal orders which have done so much to facilitate the remitting of small sums from town to town, and have actually taken the place of a paper currency of less denomination than one pound notes. To Mr Espeut the country is indebted for forcing on the Government the Educational question, and for bringing to a head the wearisome arguments for and against the formation of a Board of Education and compulsory education. And so we could go on, but time and space forbid us enumerating what he has done for the country.

Mr Espeut was the son of the late Hon. P. A. Espeut, Custos of Portland and member of the old Legislative Council. He began life in the Colonial Secretary's Office, which he quitted on the death of his father and took to agriculture. He was a man of an ingenious turn of mind, and he patented several inventions of his own for improvements of various kinds. He was elected to the Legislative Council on the 27th Aug 1886, in the room of the Hon. George Henderson, resigned. Recently Mr Espeut resigned his seat after a prolonged residence in England, whither he had gone to recruit his failing health. Whilst in London he never failed to take a keen interest in all that concerned Jamaica, and at public meetings he made excellent speeches in favour of his native land. His last effort was at the London Chamber of Commerce meeting, when he advocated the drawing closer together of the colonies and the mother-country, and the imposition of a slight differential duty against the products of all foreign countries in favour of the colonies.

We tender his wife and family our sincere sympathy.

• Obituary: 27 Oct 1892, Kingston, Jamaica. ¹⁰⁰ A Jamaican newspaper gave this report of William's life & death:-

The Telegrams announce the death of Mr. W. B. Espeut, one of Jamaica's most talented, derided and abused sons. His ability has kept him in the forefront for many years past, and his services to the country have been numerous and valuable. He was the son of the late Hon. P. A. Espeut, Custos of Portland and a member of the old Legislature and commenced life in the Civil Service, which he left to become a planter. Mr. Espeut had keen powers of observation, was a wide reader and deep thinker, and intensely practical, the latter feature resulting in several patented inventions.

Elected to the Legislature for the Parish of Portland on the retirement of Mr. Geo. Henderson, Mr. Espeut at once took a prominent position there, his extensive knowledge of public matters and his ability as a debater particularly fitting him to be a leader. We wer[e] at variance with him on the Emigration question and on transfer of the Railway, but we must acknowledge that in those questions he was conscientious, and acted in the full belief that he was promoting the welfare of the country. To Mr. Espeuts exertions Portland and St Thomas are indebted for the Bridges which were so much needed, and the attention that has been drawn to this question will probably resulted in such works being extensively undertaken in other parts of the island where needed. We believe the work which Mr. Espeut did in bringing the Education question to the front and pressing the Government to confer this inestimable boon upon the people his best and will always be held in grateful remembrance.

Such a man must ever be running counter to the views of some and a full measure of abuse and misrepresentation has fallen to his lot at hands of unprincipled detractors. Their day is to come. They will yet be brought under the light of truth and it will be seen who sinned. Jamaica has never had a more earnest advocate, Mr. Espeut never had an opportunity to pass unutilised for bringing to the front the advantages of our island.

The deceased gentleman has left behind him a widow and several children to whom in their bereavement we tender our heartfelt sympathy and condolence.

• Probate Granted: 25 May 1894, Jamaica. ⁹⁸ Probate was granted to Hon. Wellesley Bourke with rights reserved for the other two executors, William's wife & Ernest Lake. As the latter were in England, presumably, they did not apply themselves.

William's assets were sworn as under £1500

William married Bessie Adela Jeannette Armit, daughter of Lt. Col. Louis John Amadée Armit and Bessie Bredin, on 25 Oct 1870.¹¹ Bessie was born on 16 Feb 1852 in Woolwich, Kent ^¹⁰ and died on 11 Jun 1912 in Elmhurst, Brookland Avenue, Cambridge ^{¹⁰^,101} at age 60.

• Grant of Administration: 14 Aug 1912, London, England. ¹⁰² Effects: £1059 14s 10d

+ 36 F i. Noëmi Marian Espeut ³⁸ was born on 18 Jan 1872 in Jamaica,^³⁸ died on 24 Nov 1941 in Nuttall Hospital, Kingston, Jamaica ^¹⁰³ at age 69, and was buried <25 Nov 1941> in Half-way Tree Churchyard, Jamaica.^¹⁰⁴

37 M ii. Ernest Charles Peter Espeut ¹¹ was born on 2 Mar 1874 in Jamaica,^¹⁰⁷ died on 6 Jun 1874 in Jamaica,^{¹¹^,107} and was buried in St George's Church, Buff Bay, Jamaica.^¹⁰⁸

+ 40 F v. Blanche Adela Espeut ¹¹ was born on 5 Jun 1878 in Jamaica ^¹¹ and died on 30 Mar 1934 in London, England ^¹¹² at age 55.

+ 41 F vi. Ethel Maude Espeut ¹¹ was born on 31 Mar 1880 in Jamaica ^¹¹ and died on 26 Jun 1961 in London, England at age 81.

22. Augustus Charles Bancroft was born on 31 Aug 1853 ^{¹⁰^,11} and died in 1928 in Jamaica at age 75. Another name for Gussie was Augustus Charles Bancroft "Gussie" Espeut.¹¹

General Notes: Is reputed to have fallen out very badly with the family and for this reason he changed his surname to Bancroft by deed poll (before April 1897).

Gussie married Sarah Elvira Henriques ³⁰ on 20 Oct 1887. Sarah was born on 1 Dec 1864 ^³⁰ and died in 1956 ^³⁰ at age 92.

26. Julia Ursula Bancroft Espeut ¹¹ ^,78 was born on 17 May 1861 in The Retreat, St Andrews, Jamaica,^¹¹ was baptised on 2 Jan 1862 in St Andrews Parish Church, Half Way Tree, Jamaica, died on 5 Jun 1939 in 385 High-road, Chiswick, Middlesex ^{⁷⁹^,80} at age 78, and was buried on 9 Jun 1939 in Chiswick Old Cemetery, Chiswick, Middlesex.^⁸¹

• Probate Granted: 14 Aug 1939, London, England. ¹¹⁵ Effects: £1520 12s 8d

Julie married Captain John Henry Vidal R.N., son of Revd. Francis Vidal and Mary Theresa Johnson, on 24 Apr 1878 in The Parish Church, Stoke Damerel, Devon ⁸².^,83 Jack was born on 8 Sep 1839 in 42 South Street, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹¹⁶ died on 7 Feb 1918 in 34 Park Road, Chiswick, Middlesex ^¹¹⁷ at age 78, and was buried on 11 Feb 1918 in Chiswick Old Cemetery, Chiswick, Middlesex.

General Notes: Richard Green, his son-in-law, wrote these things about Jack in his account of the Vidals:--

"John Henry Vidal was much the strongest and the most athletic of a family of athletes. He was exceptionally powerful and agile. In 1860 in the wardroom [of HMS Hibania] he jumped five wardroom chairs placed back to front in series. The chairs were fore and aft so that beams overhead were at right angles and 6ft 1 inch from the deck. The length of [each of] the chairs was 2ft 10 inches. There was no space to run, only space enough for a man to stand at either end. John Henry Vidal was 5ft 11¾ inches. He jumped the chairs in a crouched position. It was a most outstanding feat of agility, like a panther's spring.

He and a boatswain were the only men in the Navy who could lift a large gun from its base and insert fresh blocks single-handed.

He was inventive, some of his ideas being used by the Navy. He received £100 from the Admiralty for an invention, a torpedo catcher.

As a craftsman he had remarkable ability of the highest order. He made several silver tea services of such a small size that the teapot held at a single drop which it actually poured out. These minute services he sold at £10 each for charity.

For a wager, when a midshipman, he ate his wineglass to the stalk. One of the surgeons spoke of dire results but J.H.V. told me that he suffered no ill effects.

On the 24th July, 1876 he killed with fly salmon weighing 27, 18, 28, 23, 32lbs. -- total 128 -- on the Rastagouche in Canada."

Pleasance Bevan (née Scrutton) in her account of the Vidals recalled that:-
"He was very good with his hands and you "boys" [Pleasance's two sons] may remember that I gave you the little silver sailor hats* that he had made. I think I handed them over to you when you were too young, and you probably lost them, but they were beautifully made. He also made the napkin rings he gave my parents for a wedding present. One with letters Frederic and the other Maude. He made them out of melted down half-crowns."

*Some have survived to 2000, his great grandson, John Green, has one. ¹¹⁸ ^,119

• Naval Service: Bet 1853 and 1886, Various Places. ¹²¹ ^,122
Jack reckoned his active service as being 29 years and 293 days. He was promoted to Captain on his retirement and awarded a special naval pension for distinguished services. According to his official naval records, Jack retired voluntarily; and his retirement pay was £385pa.

While serving with the "Pylades" he became involved in the Fenian uprising¹ in Canada and on June 4th 1866 in command of the hired river steamer "Royal" with 40 ratings from the "Pylades", he sailed up the St Lawrence river "with thousands of Fenians on the river bank" and not a shot was fired. Thirty years later he received his medal for this service, it had been overlooked. It happened in 1896 that his name appeared in a newspaper which was read by a former captain of the "Pylades" (Lord Hood, it is thought) who remembered that Jack had not been given the medal to which he was entitled.

When Jack served on HMS Victoria & Albert Yacht, Albert, the Queen's Consort, presented him with a six penny piece for winning the officers race round the decks. Jack later mounted this in a frame of his own silverwork.

¹ A force of one brigade of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), a secret revolutionary group founded in Dublin on March 17, 1858, by James Stephens, under the command of Colonel John O'Neill.

• Report of death: Feb 1918, Various Places. A local Sunderland newspaper reported Jack's death:-

Captain John Vidal, R.N., died at his residence in Chiswick on Thursday evening from a seizure. He was born at Torrington, Devon, in 1839, and was the third son of the Reverend Francis Vidal, who had the famous Vidal's House at Eton College. After leaving Eton in 1853 he passed into the Navy as a cadet to H.M.S. Juno. During his service he was awarded a medal for being in charge of the gunboat which quelled the Fenian disturbance in Canada, was appointed to the H.M. Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert in 1860. And became commander in 1872. He came to H.M.S. Durham, the old Sunderland Guard Ship, in 1880, and commanded her for some time. On retirement he was awarded a special naval pension for distinguished services. The Devon family, of which he was a member, was famous for its sailors and soldiers and his cousin, the former First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir A. Kynvet-Wilson, V.C., is now the only surviving member of his generation.

Captain Vidal married a daughter of the Hon. P.A. Espeut, who survives him, together with their four sons - - Major F. Vidal of the War Office, Capt. J. Vidal, M.C., Lieut. W. Vidal, R.E. and Mr C. Vidal (British Representative to America as Shell-Gauge Expert) - - and one daughter, Mrs Richard Green, of Sunderland."

Another local paper, probably in the Chiswick area where he had lived, reported his death:-

Interesting link with the past.

We regret to announce the death, which took place suddenly on Thursday of last week, at his residence, 34, Park - road, of Captain John Henry Vidal, R.N., at the advanced age of 78 years. Born on the 8th of September, 1839, the third son of the Rev. Francis Vidal, of Eton College, the late Captain Vidal had had a most interesting and varied naval career, and may well be described as a link with the "old wooden walls" period in the naval history of England. When only fourteen years of age he went to sea on the frigate "Juno" - - on which they were then still eating Peninsula War provisions - - in 1853, served in the Black Sea at the time of the Crimean War, and as a lieutenant on the "Victoria and Albert", Queen Victoria's yacht. He was also on the "Merrimac," the first ironclad, during the American Civil war, and saw service in Canada during the Fenian raids. He was also on board the "Vigilant" during the siege of Vienna by the Austrians. The "Vigilant" was the only English warship ever permitted to go up the Grand Canal and anchor off the Doges Palace. His last foreign service was as commander on board the battleship "Bellerophon". Later Captain Vidal took over the command of the training ship "Durham" performing coastguard duties, retiring with a supplementary good service pension to live in Sunderland, in November, 1886. He removed to Chiswick in 1905. Captain Vidal married Julia Ursula Bancroft, fourth daughter of the Hon. Peter Alexander Espeut, of Jamaica, thus resuming a family association which began as long ago as 1655, when Cromwell sent Penn and Venerables to conquer Jamaica, the then John Vidal being an officer in the army of occupation. He leaves a family of four sons and one daughter. Three of his sons are temporarily serving in His Majesty's forces.

The funeral took place on Monday last, the first part of the service being conducted at St Michael's, Sutton Court, by the Rev. L. McNeil Shelford, the internment being at the Chiswick burial ground, where the "Last Post" was sounded over the grave by the buglers of the 4th Battalion, Middlesex Volunteer Regiment. Nearer relatives and a number of friends were amongst the mourners."

• Probate Granted: 1 Mar 1918, London, England. ¹²³ Effects: £1476 11s 11d which he left to his wife.

49 M i. Col. Francis Peter Vidal C.B.E. ¹²⁴ was born on 22 Feb 1879 in Devonport, Devon,^¹²⁴ was baptised on 23 Mar 1879 in Stoke Damerel, Devon,^¹²⁵ died on 14 Sep 1952 in The Salop Nursing Institution, Shrewsbury ^{¹²⁶^,127} at age 73, and was buried on 17 Sep 1952 in Chiswick, London.^¹²⁸

• Education: Sep 1890-Dec 1892, Stonehouse School, North Foreland, Broadstairs. ¹¹⁶

• Military Service: 1914.1918, Various Places. ¹²⁹ ^,130 While working as a Bank Clerk, Frank joined the T.A. but regrettably his foot was damaged when he was run over by a gun carriage and as a result he had to join the Army Pay Corps for service in WW1. He was an acting Major in 1917.

After the war he continued in the Army Pay Corps in various posts at home, in India and Hong Kong. Was awarded the O.B.E. Finished his service as Command Paymaster at GHQ Salisbury, with the rank of full Colonel and, on final retirement, was awarded the C.B.E. (very rare for the Pay Corps).

In later years was treasurer of Tidworth Tattoo.

Frank married Mary Hepburn, daughter of John Hepburn and Lucinda Hill, on 30 Apr 1906 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire ¹¹⁸.^,131 Mary was born on 2 Nov 1880 in Thornley, Durham ^{¹³⁰^,132} and died on 24 Sep 1954 in Prospect Park Hospital, Reading ^¹³³ at age 73.

50 F ii. Madeline Vidal was born on 18 Dec 1880 in 2 Roker Terrace, Sunderland, Co. Durham,^¹³⁴ was baptised on 16 Jan 1881, died on 16 Jul 1953 in 3 Grange Terrace, Sunderland, Co. Durham ^{¹³⁵^,136} at age 72, and was buried in Chester Road Cemetery, Sunderland. The cause of her death was cancer of the ovaries.

General Notes: Madge was confirmed when she was at school in Caversham, near Reading and had her first communion on Easter Day, 1897.

Medical Notes: Her husband, Richard, wrote of her on July 25th 1953:-

"Madeline died nine days ago. For several years she has suffered from high blood pressure and angina. In March, 1951, she underwent a major operation and had removed a large ovarian tumour, necessitating the taking away of a part of the intestines, the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. Despite ureamic poisoning her amazing vitality pulled her through. Now she has died owing to a very large, malignant, abdominal tumour. Her indomitable spirit never yielded to her grave physical disabilities. I feel humility; her courage was beyond belief: it was nobility of character. The family, and all others, knew that she was a very brave woman. She was unusually strong for a woman, stood 5 ft 6½ inches in her stocking feet and was a distinguished person with a splendid physique."

• Education: Apr 1899 -????, St Michael's School, Wantage. Trained for kindergarten work

• Sporting Activities: 1898.1920. Madge played hockey for the counties of Oxford and Durham for c. 21 years. She was also chosen to play for the North.

• Will: Jul 1953, Sunderland, Co. Durham. Madge appears not to have made a Will and presumably had no assets requiring an application to the Probate Court for their administration.

Madge married Richard James Green, son of Eli Thomas Elkins Green and Alice Maud Rebecca James, on 26 Apr 1905 in Christ Church, Turnham Green, Middlesex ¹³⁷.^,138 Dick was born on 14 Jun 1880 in 17 Prince's Street, Northampton,^¹³⁹ was baptised on 15 Aug 1880 in St Peters, Haven Street, IOW,^¹⁴⁰ and died on 13 Feb 1978 in Tirril Lodge, Tirril, Nr Penrith ^¹⁴¹ at age 97.

• Wedding: 26 Apr 1905, Christ Church, Turnham Green, Middlesex. ¹⁴² A local newspaper gave this report of Dick's and Madge's wedding:-

CHISWICK

A Pretty Wedding at Turnham Green

A very pretty wedding was solemnised at Christ Church, Turnham Green, on Wednesday, when Miss Madeline Vidal, daughter of Captain Vidal R.N. of 1 Park Road, Sunderland, was wedded to Mr Richard James Green, of Sunderland. The ceremony was performed by the Reverend P J Donovan, vicar.

The bride looked charming in a beautiful dress of ivory chiffon glace silk, trimmed with old family Limerick lace, kindly lent by her aunt, Mrs Hildebrand Oakes. Her veil was of old Brussels lace, lent by Mrs Espeut, her aunt, and she carried a lovely bouquet of white roses, orange blossoms, gardenias, and stephanotis. The only jewels worn by the bride were a string of family pearls, pendant, and brooch, the gift of her mother. She was given away by her uncle, Mr Hildebrand Oakes, and the bridegroom was supported by Mr Jack Cameron. The only bridesmaid, Miss Dora Squance, was attired in a dainty dress of pale green Aeolienne silk, the bodice having a yoke and deep cuffs, soft green lace, with a deep waist band of moire ribbon to match the dress. Her skirt was trimmed with scalloped frills and ruches, and the hat was of pale green ruffled tulle, trimmed with white lilac and ribbon to match. She carried a bouquet of Allan Richardson roses, which with a handsome pearl and peridot brooch were the gifts of the bridegroom. Mrs Vidal wore a costume of dark blue Æolienne silk trimmed with guipure.

The presents, which were very handsome, numbered over 160 and included the following:- from the bride to the bridegroom, a portmanteau and leather hat box; from the bridegroom to the bride a complete hammered silver dressing table set.

After the ceremony a reception was held at Oakholm, Grosvenor-road, Gunnersbury, which was largely attended by relatives and old friends. During the afternoon the happy pair left for Dover, en route for Paris and Switzerland. The bride's travelling dress was of electric blue cloth, trimmed with cream lace and hand painted green velvet, with hat of Tuscan straw, trimmed with pink roses and blue ribbons to match the dress. She also wore sable furs.

51 M iii. William Espeut Vidal ¹¹⁸ was born on 1 Sep 1881 in 2 Roker Terrace, Sunderland, Co. Durham,^¹¹⁸ was baptised on 1 Oct 1881 in St Stephen's Church, Bishopwearmouth, Co. Durham,^{¹¹⁸^,144} and died on 5 Jan 1943 in Stobhill Hospital, 133 Balornock Road, Glasgow ^{¹⁴⁵^,146} at age 61.

• Education: Sunderland, Co. Durham. ¹⁴⁷ William was educated at Sunderland High School and by private tuition according to his Army record.

• Occupation: Bef 1906, Sunderland, Co. Durham. ¹⁴⁸ Worked at sometime for W. Doxford & Sons and is credited with installing their shipyard's first generating plant which was later used to provide electric lighting in that part of the Sunderland borough.

During this period , William was granted a patent (probably one of many) for "improvements relating to the design of brush holders for electro motors and other purposes."

• Military Service: 1915.1919, Various Places. ¹²⁹ William must have returned from Canada in about 1915 because in the November of that year he enlisted as a private soldier in the X. X. X. regiment. Later he applied for a commission in the Royal Engineers and joined their Signal Service.

William did not have a good start to his Army service as he suffered badly from Cystitis for about 10 months from October 1916 to July 1917 which according to the medical reports left him very debilitated. During this time he was either on leave or on light duties.

He was posted to France, finally, as a Lieutenant in November 1917. There he became O.C. Signals for the 123rd Infantry Brigade and it was in this role that he was caught in a gas shell attack near Ypres on 22 April 1918. He was repatriated to England on 17 May 1918 and six days later an Army Medical Board ruled that his injuries were "slight and not permanent" and he was pronounced fit for "home service" and posted to the Signal Service Training Centre at Bedford. Here he seems to have suffered from what was diagnosed as influenza and was unable to perform his duties for several months. Whether influenza was the correct diagnosis — there was a very serious pan epidemic of a particularly virulent influenza virus which killed many thousands of people world-wide at that time — or whether it was the delayed effects of the gas is not known.

William was promoted to acting Captain in March 1919 and finally demobbed with the rank of Lieutenant on 1 June 1919.

• Occupation: 1922.1923, London, England. Worked for a time for a trolley bus manufacturing company

• Occupation: 1923.1943, Glasgow. ¹⁴⁷ There is no record of what William did during this twenty-year period; the only member of the family with whom he seems to have kept in touch was his mother and she left no correspondence which would shed any light on the matter. It is known from his Army Record file that he went to Bristol for a time after he left the family in London in 1923 but, apart from that and the fact that he was working as Sales Manager for an electrical fire manufacturer in Glasgow at the time of his death, nothing more is known.

William married Elizabeth Armstrong,¹¹⁸ daughter of Abel Armstrong and Elizabeth Nixon, on 26 Apr 1906 in Sunderland, Co. Durham.¹⁴⁹ The marriage ended in Separation. Elizabeth was born on 11 Apr 1885 in Sunderland, Co. Durham ^¹¹⁸ and died on 11 Jan 1975 in Lincolnshire ^¹⁵⁰ at age 89.

Marriage Notes: William got in to serious debt and early in 1911 abandoned Elizabeth with three small children under four years of age and, reputedly, went off to Canada. There is some doubt about whether or not he actually went to Canada; family stories and his Army records seem to suggest that he remained in England. Whatever the case, he was not seen again by the family until some time during WW1 (he had by then been commissioned in the Royal Engineers) when he paid them a visit one weekend when they were living in Cockermouth. Later, the family was reunited for a short time (July 1922-Jan 1923) when they all lived together in the Swiss Cottage district of London while he was working for a trolley bus company. He left suddenly in the January of 1923 and never lived with any of the family again though he kept in touch with his mother.

William does not seem to have sought a divorce and Elizabeth did not seek one herself though she could have proceeded, had she wished, on the grounds of desertion.

His wife and children appear to have lost touch completely with William after 1923 and were unaware of his death in 1943.

• Education: Abt 1896.1902, Durham Co. ¹⁴⁸ Elizabeth went to Bede Grammar School.

• Education: 1914.1916, Newcastle upon Tyne. ¹⁴⁸ In order to provide for her family after her husband, William, had deserted it in 1911, Elizabeth decide to become a teacher. As soon as her youngest child was old enough to be left in someone else's care, she enrolled in a teacher's training course at the Northern Counties College of Domestic Science in Newcastle in order to obtain some qualifications. She was Senior Student there and passed out well with 1st Class Certificates in Cookery, Housekeeping and High Class Cookery and a 2nd Class Certificate in Needlework.

• Occupation: 1916.1949, Various Places. ¹⁴⁸ Elizabeth got her first appointment as a Domestic Science teacher at a school in Cockermouth, Cumbria where she stayed for about six years before she and her children went south to London in 1922 to be reunited, briefly, with her husband. On his departure, once again, in 1923, she obtained an appointment at a school in Epsom where she stayed until she retired. Initially, she travelled daily from where the family lived in Swiss Cottage but in time she found a house in Epsom. By the time she retired in 1949, she was 64 years of age.

William had a relationship with Lilian Violet Merredew. Mary was born on 27 Feb 1894 in Croydon, Surrey ^¹⁵¹ and died on 22 May 1978 in Bristol ^{¹⁵²^,153} at age 84.

General Notes: Mary described her relationship with William as "an acquaintance" when she reported his death to the Registrar in Glasgow. In truth, she and William had been living together for twenty or so years. For some of that time they lived in a caravan in the London area and moved around with William's job. Mary's niece remembers being looked after by her in their caravan in 1940. It is not surprising, therefore, that Mary was the executrix of William's Will and, we must presume, the sole beneficiary. Following his death, or possibly during the course of her and William's time together¹, she must have adopted the name "Vidal" for in the registration of her death and in the grant of probate to her executors, she is referred to as "Lillian Violet Vidal", otherwise to "Mary Vidal".

NOTE

¹ Mary's sister-in-law, who visited them when they were living in Glasgow, thought they were married. ¹⁵¹ ^,154 ^,155

52 F iv. Elsie Vidal was born on 24 Dec 1884 in 2 Roker Terrace, Sunderland, Co. Durham and died on 28 Dec 1884 in 2 Roker Terrace, Sunderland, Co. Durham.

53 M v. Charles Henry Vidal was born on 26 Sep 1886 in 37 The Avenue, Sunderland, Co. Durham, was baptised on 3 Nov 1986 in Christ Church, Bishopwearmouth, Co. Durham, and died on 29 Jul 1948 in 50 Sloane Street, London, SW1 ^¹⁵⁶ at age 61.

General Notes: At some time had an engineering company at Croydon and later worked for Lucas in Acton.

• Education: Sep 1900, Emanuel School, London, SW11. ¹⁵⁷ The School Register for the time Charles was at Emanuel has been lost and the only record of his time there is to be found in the School Magazine which reveals the following:-

Sports Day - Saturday, July 27, 1901 - 1st in a Consolation Division Race.

Easter - March 19, 1902 was unable to be confirmed at School Confirmation because he (and one other boy) had 'flu. Instead they were confirmed by the Bishop of Southwark in St John's Church, Waterloo Bridge Road, on Friday, March 21.

Sports Day - Saturday, July 26, 1902 - 3rd in 220 yards race.

Charles married Annie Enid Ticehurst, daughter of William Ticehurst and Jane A Moir, on 30 Jul 1915 in Croydon, Surrey.¹⁵⁸ Enid was born in 1881 in Eastbourne, Sussex ^¹⁵⁹ and died on 19 Feb 1934 in Ealing, London ^{¹⁶⁰^,161} at age 53.

Charles next married Eileen Mavis Beeson,¹⁶² daughter of Leonard Beeson and Eleanor Florence Ilieve, in 1936 in Kensington, Middlesex.¹⁶² Minska was born on 21 Oct 1914 in Lambeth, London ^¹⁶³ and died on 5 Jun 1989 in London, England ^¹⁶⁴ at age 74.

General Notes: Eileen's maternal grandfather was Hungarian which may account for her been known to the family as Minska.

54 M vi. Edward Vidal ¹⁶⁵ was born on 4 Jan 1889 in 1 Park Road, Sunderland, Co. Durham, was baptised on 13 Feb 1889 in Christ Church, Bishopwearmouth, Co. Durham, and died on 29 Feb 1892 in 1 Park Road, Sunderland, Co. Durham ^¹⁶⁶ at age 3.

55 M vii. John Furse Bancroft Vidal M.C. was born on 30 May 1892 in 1 Park Road, Sunderland, Co. Durham, was baptised on 13 Jul 1892 in Christ Church, Bishopwearmouth, Co. Durham, and died on 23 Nov 1980 ^¹⁶⁷ at age 88.

• Education: Apr 1902-Dec 1906, Temple Grove School, Eastbourne. ¹¹⁶ Left as Captain of school.

• Education: Jan 1907-Jul 1907, Sedbergh School. ¹¹⁶ ^,168 The School Register has no record of John's time there other than that he arrived in 1907 and left at the end of the summer term to go to Tonbridge School.

The Register of 1928 records also that he went to Finsbury Technical College for Engineering, was a Capt. in the R.E. & R.A.F. in WWI and was awarded an MC in 1917. Also in 1928 he was living in Dingwall Road, East Croydon.

• Education: Sep 1907-Jul 1908, Tonbridge School. ¹⁶⁹ ^,170 When the Vidals left Sunderland to live in Chiswick, Segbergh School was presumably considered too far to travel, so John was sent to Tonbridge and started there in School House in the Michaelmas term of 1907. The School Register for the period says nothing of his time there.

• Education: Bet 1908 and 1909, London, England. ¹⁷¹ Like his two brothers, William and Charlie, John was interested in electrical engineering and on leaving Tonbridge School he went to Finsbury Technical College for Engineering for a year, presumably with the intention of acquiring some academic training or qualification, before starting an apprenticeship.

• Employment: Bet 1909 and 1914, Various Places. ¹⁶⁸ ^,172 On leaving Finsbury Technical College, John became an "electrical engineering pupil" with Crompton & Co of Chelmsford (Electrical Contractors) in November 1909. He stayed with Crompton & Co until February 1912 when he went to Pintsch's Electrical Manufacturing Co, who had offices in New Broad Street, London EC and a Works in Croydon, to continue his training. John remained with Pintsch until he enlisted in December 1914 and their letter confirming his apprenticeship with them, which is in his Army Record, speaks highly of him and regrets his leaving them.

• Military Service: Bet 1914 and 1919, Various Places. ¹⁷³ Captain R.E. WWI. When with the 9th Div. was involved in in the first wireless transmissions between Brigade and HQ at Loos and then became one of the first six wireless signals officers and had a direction finding station near Calais-Amiens for Zepplins attacking over the Channel. Was in contact with Marconi at that time.

Awarded MC in 1917.

• Employment: Bet 1919 and 1945, Various Places. ¹⁶⁹ ^,174 After he was demobbed, John went back to work for Pintsch & Co (later to become the Patent Lighting Co.) and then J. Stone & Co., railway manufacturing specialist for carriage bearings and electric lighting, which was John's interest. Later, he was a Director of Meade, McLean & Co.

John married Audrey Florence McKay,¹¹⁸ daughter of James McKay and Ada Jane Enguell, on 1 May 1920 in Esher Parish Church, Esher, Surrey ¹⁷⁵.^,176 Audrey was born on 18 Feb 1901 in 19 Appach Road, Brixton Hill, London ^¹⁷⁷ and died on 26 Nov 1975 in Kent and Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells ^{¹⁷⁸^,179} at age 74. The cause of her death was bronchopneumonia and a gangrenous leg.

General Notes: Edith was left a widow sometime after April 1910 and for the next 20 or so years she had to support herself which she did working in offices, probably, in an administrative capacity. By the middle of the 1920s she was working for the City of Philadelphia and hoping to do so for another five years in order to secure a pension of $700 pa.

Little is known about her life or work in America but she had a lifelong ambition to write a biography about her grandfather Dr Edward Bancroft to refute the accusations that he had been a spy for the British Crown during the War of American Independence.

Before her husband died she had corresponded with various Bancrofts in America and with her first cousin Edith Bancroft (1862-1941) in England, the daughter of Lt. General William Charles Bancroft, who had inherited from him two large deed boxes containing a collection of Edward Bancroft's papers. Edith thereby acquired quite a sizeable collection of documents relating to Edward's life, which she later left in her Will to the Historical Society of Philadelphia.

In the 1920s she seems to have become greatly concerned that her ambition to write Edward's biography, or "Memoirs" as she referred to them, was not going to become a reality unless she could devote more time to the project; this, of course, was very difficult when she had to earn a living at the same time. She therefore wrote to several wealthy, and presumably patriotic, Americans seeking financial help to allow her to give up her job and devote her time fully to the task of preparing the proposed biography.

One of these letters has survived. In it she says "My working hours are from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. I usually reach home at 5 to 5.30 p.m. each day, and as my work is very exhausting, all I am fit for is rest, dinner, reading the paper and going to bed - no time to devote to writing or library work." and later "..... so I am writing you in desperation. My best years of usefulness are going."

In this same letter she says of Edith Bancroft "My cranky cousin is liable to burn all the original letters at any time..."¹. It is sad to reflect that those who received one of Edith's begging letters may well have thought that she was also pretty cranky for no one offered the help she sought and her Bancroft Memoirs remained unwritten.

NOTE

¹ In fact, much to her credit, Edith Bancroft kept the deed boxes secure and left them to one of her nephews. ¹⁸⁰ ^,181

Edie married Herbert E Ashmore ³⁸ in Sep 1895.³⁸ Herbert was born <1854> ^¹⁸² and died <1910> ^¹⁸² at age 56.

Fifth Generation

36. Noëmi Marian Espeut ³⁸ was born on 18 Jan 1872 in Jamaica,^³⁸ died on 24 Nov 1941 in Nuttall Hospital, Kingston, Jamaica ^¹⁰³ at age 69, and was buried <25 Nov 1941> in Half-way Tree Churchyard, Jamaica.^¹⁰⁴ The cause of her death was murder.¹⁸³

• Funeral: Jamaica. The Daily Gleaner carried this report of Noëmi's funeral:-

Was Member Of Prominent
Portland Family. Large
Gathering At Funeral

Because her contact with mankind was good, and she maintained with dignity and distinction the traditions of one of Jamaica's oldest families, hundreds of mourners passed before the body of Mrs. Marian Noëmi Lyon-Hall, as she lay in state in the Half-way Tree Parish Church, yesterday afternoon. The tragic circumstances of her death - shot without ado by a heartless villain - has aroused island-wide indignation and sympathy.

The late Mrs. Lyon-Hall was a daughter of the late Hon. W. B. Espeut, one-time Member for Portland in the Legislative Council. She resided for years at Spring Garden, Buff Bay, after returning to Jamaica with her husband, C. H. Lyon-Hall from Haiti, where they lived for some time. The Lyon-Halls are widely known as one of the leading families of Portland.

At 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon the casket covered with flowers and bearing the body of the deceased lady was removed from the Nuttall Hospital, where she died, and was conveyed to the Half-way Tree Parish Church. There it lay in state until the hour for the funeral service, 4 o'clock, arrived.

It was no curious crowd that paid respect to the mother of an esteemed family. Those who passed by reverently and silently showed their deep sympathy and regret; and many a tear was shed even by those briefly acquainted with Mrs. Lyon-Hall.

The funeral service was brief and simple, but was most impressive. It was conducted by the Rev. Canon H. G. Lovell, Rural Dean for St Andrew and Rector of Half-way Tree, assisted by the Rev. G. Pocock. The body was afterwards committed to the grave by the Rev. Canon Lovell.

Pallbearers were: Mr E. H. Lyon-Hall, son of the deceased; Mr. Harry Bicknell, son-in-law; Mr H. F. Perkins, Mr W. J. Langdon, and Mr G. R. Sharpe.

[There then follows a long list of those who attended the funeral]

Noëmi married Clarence Lyon Hall,¹¹ son of Revd Clarence Hall and Charlotte Bane Lyon, on 26 Sep 1894 in Kensington Parish Church, London, England ¹¹ ^,105.^,106 Clarence was born on 27 Feb 1859 in Belleville, Ontario ^¹⁸³ and died on 30 Oct 1944 in 14 East Avenue, Camperdown, Jamaica ^¹⁸⁴ at age 85.

• Grant of Administration: 13 Nov 1946, London, England. ¹⁸⁵ Effects: £949 18s 4d in England

57 M i. Lt Clarence Espeut Lyon Hall M.C. ³⁸ was born on 16 Feb 1896 in Haiti ^{³⁸^,183} and died on 7 Jul 1916 in Becordel-Becourt, Somme, France ^¹⁸⁶ at age 20.

General Notes: Was serving in the 5th Bn. South Wales Borderers at the time of his death. ¹⁸⁸

• Obituary: Jamaica. ¹⁹⁵ A Jamaican newspaper, possibly the Gleaner published this obituary for Claude:-

The former dircetor [sic] of PWD dies in UK

Mr. Claude Vyvian Armit Espeut, former director of Public Works of Jamaica, died in a Bath (England) nursing home on December 21, in his 97th year.

A Jamaican, Mr. Espeut was a son of the late William B. Espeut. Educated at St Paul's School (London) and Crystal Palace School of Engineering, he joined the Jamaica PWD as an engineer and 1894.

In 1900 and he was transferred to Nigeria as an engineer with the Lagos Government Railway. From 1901 to 1904 he was district to engineer with the Gold Coast (Ghana) Government Railway.

Mr. Espeut was promoted executive engineer in the PWD of Uganda in 1985, becoming Director of Public Works for the then British Protectorate in 1911.

Appointed director of Public Works of Jamaica in 1921, Mr. Espeut served as an Ex-Offico Member of the then Legislative Council and a member of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation. He was promoted director of Public Works in Malaya in 1924.

Mr. Espeut is survived by a son [sic] Vyvian and a daughter Brida, three grandsons and one granddaughter in England, and relatives in Jamaica.

After a service in St Peter's Church, Freshford, near Bath on December 24, cremation followed.

Claude married Bridget Harries, daughter of William Walter Harries and Jane Williams, on 11 Jun 1910 in Brentford, Middlesex ³⁸.^,110 Bridget was born in 1880 in Mathry, Pembroke ^¹⁹⁶ and died on 19 Jun 1947 in Hosham, Sussex ^{⁷⁰^,197} at age 67. Another name for Bridget was Brida Harries.³⁸

• Probate Granted: 31 Oct 1947, London, England. ¹⁹⁸ Effects £7807 15s 4d

62 F ii. Noëmi Vyvian Espeut was born on 30 Nov 1912 in Entebbe, Uganda,^²⁰³ died on 16 Sep 2005 in Monkton Combe, Bath ^²⁰⁴ at age 92, and was buried on 30 Sep 2005 in St Peter's Church, Freshford, Bath.

Vyvian married Rear Admiral Robert William Parker C.B.E.,²⁰⁵ son of Colonel W F Parker and Unknown, on 26 Oct 1935 in Kensington, Middlesex ²⁰⁵ ^,206.^,207 Robert was born on 15 Mar 1902 in Delamore, Devon,^{²⁰⁵^,208} died on 15 May 1985 in Bath ^{²⁰⁹^,210} at age 83, and was buried in St Peter's Church, Freshford, Bath.

General Notes: The Who's Who for 1984 has this entry for Robert:-

PARKER, Rear-Adm. Robert William, CBE 1954, JP, b 1902; s of Colonel W. F. Parker, Delamore, Cornwood, Devon; and m 1935, Neomi Vyvian, d of C. V. Espeut; no c. Educ: Royal Naval Colleges Osborne and Dartmouth. Midshipman, 1918; served in Grand Fleet, specialised Engineering, 1922-24; and served as Engineer Officer: HMS Rodney, 1942-44; HMS Indomitable (British Pacific Fleet), 1944-46; comd HMS Caledonia, RN Apprentices Training Establishment, Rosyth, 1949-52; Rear-Adm.(E), 1952; retired 1955. The JP Somerset, 1961. Recreation: model engineering. Address: The Hermitage, Freshford, near Bath, Avon, BA3 6DA. T: Limpley Stoke 3220. ²⁰⁵

• Obituary: 17 May 1985, London, England. ²¹¹ ^,212 The Daily Telegraph published the following rather cryptic obituary for Robert most of which seems to have been taken from his Who's Who entry:-

Rear Admiral Robert William Parker. At Bath aged 83. Deputy Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet 1953-55, entered Royal Navy 1918, specialised engineering 1922-24. Served 1939-45 War. Engineer Officer in battleship Rodney 1942-44, Indomitable 1944-46. Commandant, HMS Caledonia, RN Apprentices Training Establishment, Rosyth 1949-52. Rear-Admiral (E) on staff.

A few days later The Times published a slightly more fulsome account of Robert's career:-

REAR-ADMIRAL R. W. PARKER

Rear-Admiral (E) Robert William Parker, CBE. Deputy Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet, from 1953 in 1955, died on May 15. He was 83.

He joined the Navy as a Dartmouth cadet in 1915 and was employed during the 1930s in cruisers as Commander (E). Shortly before the outbreak of war he joined the staff of the C-in-C. Plymouth, as Assistant to the Engineering Rear-Admiral.

He saw active service, first in 1942 in the battleship Rodney as Squadron Engineering Officer and subsequently in the aircraft carrier Indomitable with the Pacific Fleet.

After the war he served with the Naval Ordnance Department until November, 1949, when he was given command of HMS Caledonia, the RN Artificers Training Establishment at Rosyth. In 1952 he was promoted rear-admiral (E) on the staff of the C-in-C. Plymouth. He was appointed CBE in 1954. In 1935 he married Noemi Vyvian Espeut.

Reginald married Dora Eunice Smith,³⁸ daughter of Thomas Smith and Rosina Fisher, in 1910 in Fulham, London ³⁸.^,111 Dora was born in 1891 in Wimbledon, Surrey and died on 23 Jul 1968 in Kent ^{²¹⁴^,215^,216} at age 77.

• Probate Granted: 16 May 1934, London, England. ²²⁶ Effects: £8995 0s 3d

Blanche married Thomas Cameron Coote,³⁸ son of Arthur Coote and Janet Mackintosh, on 14 Feb 1906 in St. Mary Abbots, Kensington, London.¹¹³ Thomas was born in 1879 in Broomfield Tower, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne ^¹⁹⁰ and died on 16 Dec 1940 in Hertfordshire ^³⁸ at age 61.

• Wedding: 14 Feb 1906, London. ¹¹³ ^,227 An unknown London newspaper of February 14, 1906, reported Thomas's and Blanche's wedding thus:-

At St. Mary Abbot's this afternoon, the marriage took place of Mr. Thomas Cameron Coote, son of Mr. Arthur Coote, of the Minories, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and South Kensington Park-gardens, and Miss Blanche Adela Espent (sic), second daughter of the late Hon. W. Bancroft Espent, F.L.S., and member of the Legislative Council of Jamaica, and Mrs. Espent, of Spring Garden, Jamaica, and 77, Sinclair-road, Kensington. The ceremony was conducted by the Rev. Edward Kitson (cousin of the bride), assisted by the Rev. Ernest H. Beatlis (cousin of the bridegroom). The bride was given away by her brother, Mr. R. Espent, of Sierra Leone, West Africa, and Mr. Arthur Coote, brother of the bridegroom, was best man. The bride wore a wedding-dress of "cascade de soie" with narrow pleated frills at foot, the bodice being arranged with old Brussels lace, and Court train of old Brussels lace. Her ornaments were a diamond and sapphire pendant, the gift of the bridegroom.

The reception held by Mrs. Espent at Kensington Town Hall was largely attended, among those invited being Sir Kenneth and Lady Mackenzie, of Tarbat, Sir William and Lady White, and, Sir Henry and Lady Hocking and, the Baron and Baroness Rosen Krantz, Lady Longden, Miss Longden, Sir Richard and Lady Cayley, and Lady Lees.

This report was followed the same day by one in the Evening Standard which was as follows:-

MISS BLANCHE ADELA ESPEUT, married to-day to Mr. T. C. Coote, has a little grievance against the papers, nearly all of which have mis-spelled her name. She is a member of a family which had made its mark in Hertfordshire¹ more than a century ago but which for over a century has been foremost in the government and development of Jamaica. Her father the late Hon. William Bancroft Espeut, a notable naturalist and geologist, was for long a member of the Legislative Council of Jamaica, but managed to get across to the Old Country with sufficient frequency to make himself known and liked at the St. Stephen's and Savage clubs.

¹ Whether or not this generation of the family were aware of their French origins is not known but this claimed link with Hertfordshire simply echoes the details that the family (most probably W. B. Espeut) had provided to Burke for their entry in Burke's Colonial Gentry (1891-1895).

65 F i. Noëmi Coote ³⁸ was born in 1906 ^¹⁹⁰ and died in 1922 ^³⁸ at age 16. The cause of her death was TB.¹⁹²

41. Ethel Maude Espeut ¹¹ was born on 31 Mar 1880 in Jamaica ^¹¹ and died on 26 Jun 1961 in London, England at age 81.

• Probate Granted: 15 Sep 1961, London, England. ²³¹ Effects: £17,961 3s 2d

Maude married Henry Charles Johnston Barton ³⁸ on 30 Apr 1910 in Kensington, Middlesex ³⁸.^,114 Henry was born <1876> in Ireland and died on 26 Nov 1964 in 97 Howards Lane, Putney, SW15 ^²³² at age 88.

69 F ii. Pamela Espeut Barton was born on 4 Mar 1917 ^³⁸ and died on 13 Nov 1943 at age 26. The cause of her death was injuries received in an R.A.F. plane crash.

• Sporting Activities: Golf Champion, 1936.1939, Various Places. ²³⁷ Pam was an outstanding woman golfer and, at the time of her tragic death in the November 1943, she was described in the Daily Express newspaper as the "...greatest woman golfer Britain has known..."

In the 1934, barely out of school, she reached the final of the Women's Golf Championship and in 1936, at the age of 19, she took the British Women's Championship at Southport and went on to take the American Women's Championship in the October of that year. In doing so she became the first British woman to do so since 1909.

She achieved the "double" title again in 1939 confirming her position as an outstanding international golfer and setting a record for British women golfers.

• Report of death: 15 Nov 1943, London. ²³⁸ The Telegraph newspaper carried this report of Pam's death:-

PAMELA BARTON
DIES IN CRASH

A GREAT GOLFER

Flt. Off. Pamela Barton, W.A.A.F., woman golf champion of Britain and America in 1936, was killed on active service on Saturday. She was 26. A plane in which she was a passenger crashed when taking off from an R.A.F. aerodrome in South East England. The pilot was shaken but unhurt.

The flag of the Mid Surrey Club, Richmond, of which Miss Barton was a member, was flown at half-mast yesterday, and on the noticeboard was a tribute to "a most loved and distinguished member of the Club, to which she brought great honour".

Miss Barton joined the W.A.A.F. as a radio operator in the Summer of 1941, and was commissioned after seven months. She had been an ambulance driver during the worst phases of the London blitz. At the Fighter Command station to which she was posted she often coached pilots in golf.

Daughter of a London businessman, Mr H. G. Barton, of Barnes, Pam Barton, reached the final of the Women's Golf Championship in 1934, only a few weeks after leaving school. Two years later she won the British Women's Championship at Southport, beating Miss Bridget Newell in the final by the wide margin of seven and five. Later in the year she sailed to America and repeated her triumph. By again securing the double title in 1939 she set up a record.

70 M iii. Nigel Barton ³⁸ was born on 3 May 1920 ^³⁸ and died <1953> at age 33.

Paddy married Ethel Frances Shoesmith, daughter of Thomas Shoesmith and Unknown, on 10 May 1921.³⁸ Ethel was born on 17 Nov 1895 ^{³⁸^,220} and died on 25 Jan 1994 in Bathampton Manor, Bathampton, Bath, Avon ^{²⁴¹^,242^,243} at age 98.

• Probate Granted: 24 Feb 1994, Bristol. ²⁴⁴ Effects: Not exceeding £125,000

71 M i. Peter Arnold Espeut ³⁸ was born on 23 May 1922 ^³⁸ and died on 22 May 1941 off Crete ^{³⁸^,245} at age 18.

John married Cecelia Anderson Stodart.³⁰ Cecelia was born in 1906 ^³⁰ and died in 1985 ^³⁰ at age 79.

Sixth Generation

Noëmi married Ernest Harold Percy Greaves,¹⁸⁹ son of William Harold Greaves and Alice Maud Poole,²⁴⁹ on 24 Nov 1924 in Halfway Tree Church, Jamaica. The marriage ended in Divorce c. 1945. Harold was born on 15 Jun 1898 ^¹⁸⁹ and died on 7 Oct 1980 ^²⁴⁶ at age 82.

FASHIONABLE WEDDING AT HALFWAY TREE

The Marriage of Mr E. H. Greaves And Miss Noemi Lyon-Hall.

Large Number of Society People Are Present. Numerous Presents Given

A very pretty wedding was solemnized at Halfway Tree Parish Church yesterday afternoon when Mr E. H. Greaves married Miss Noemi Lyon-Hall.
The ceremony was performed by His Lordship Bishop Bentley to the accompaniment of the customary him "Oh Perfect love," and others. The church was beautifully decorated by Mrs Crowden and other ladies.
After the ceremony, a very delightful reception was held at Liguanea Club which one must admit is ideal for this purpose. A very distinguished crowd of wedding guests assembled and a very delightful function was the results.
Some charming frocks were worn by the lady guests at the ceremony as was to be expected, but the wedding party were so delightfully attired that while they were present it was hard to focus one's attention on anything else.

The wedding party was attired as follows: the bride wore white charmeuse satin, held in at the waist by rose. She was veiled in old Brussels lace which was a family heirloom.
As page train-bearers she had Master Pocock and Master H. Robinson who were dressed in white satin shirts and trousers.
The principal bridesmaid was Miss Ghita Lyon-Hall who was dressed in silver crepe de chine, veiled back and front with orchid georgette and who carried a posy of orchid shaded flowers on her shoulder. The other bridesmaid, Miss Greaves, was similarly attired.
In addition to the two principal bridesmaids there are where two other bridesmaid's the Misses Espeuts who were also dressed in orchid crepe de chine.
The bridegroom and the best man were attired in white, somewhat of an innovation in weddings in Jamaica, and it must be said that in company with the dresses of the bride and bridesmaids they made a truly delightful picture. All four bridesmaids wore orchid coloured hats and carried bouquets of white rose-buds.
Mrs. Lyon-Hall was attired in grey with touches of rose and wore a large picture hats with ???? plumes of black and white......

[The last part of the column of the newspaper cutting from which this report is taken has not survived but the next column continues with a long list of those who gave wedding presents]

Edward married Lois Evelina Roberts Sharp,³⁰ daughter of Francis Greenwich Sharp and Emma Roberts, on 19 Dec 1928 in St Paul's Church, Chapelton, Jamaica ¹⁸⁹.^,191 The marriage ended in Divorce. Lois was born <12 Dec 1908> in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, Jamaica.^{¹⁸³^,247}

Edward next married Alma Rosine Campbell.¹⁸⁹ Alma was born on 27 Sep 1910 ^¹⁸⁹ and died on 24 Dec 2001 in Spring Garden, Buff Bay, Jamaica ^¹⁹² at age 91.

Ghito married Henry Fremlin Bicknell ¹⁸⁹ on 15 Dec 1928 in Parish Church, Buff Bay, Jamaica ¹⁸⁹.^,193 Henry was born on 4 Feb 1903 ^¹⁸⁹ and died in Aug 1978 ^¹⁹² at age 75.

79 M ii. David Henry Bicknell was born on 20 Jun 1932 in Kingston, Jamaica and died on 7 Jul 1999 in Kingston, Jamaica at age 67.

David married Marjory Jean Henriques on 22 Sep 1957. MJ was born on 1 Oct 1936 and died on 8 Jul 1992 at age 55.

Brida married Brigadier James Vincent Charles Moberly D.S.O., O.B.E., son of Brigadier General Frederick James Moberly and Jean Elisabeth M Johns, on 9 Oct 1937 in Horsham, Sussex ³⁸.^,202 Tiny was born on 13 Jun 1904 in Simla, India ^{³⁸^,255} and died on 17 Dec 1982 in Wittersham, Kent ^{²⁵⁶^,257} at age 78.

81 M ii. Michael Edward Doward Moberly ³⁸ was born on 16 Nov 1940 in North Devon ^{³⁸^,259} and died on 13 Feb 1941.^{³⁸^,260}

Hugh married Margarita Sophia Boor,¹⁸⁹ daughter of Ernst Boor and Unknown, on 15 Oct 1932.¹⁸⁹ Margarita was born in 1906 ^¹⁸⁹ and died between 1939 and 1945 ^¹⁸⁹ about age 33.

85 F i. Diana Barbara Espeut ¹⁸⁹ was born on 21 Jul 1935 ^¹⁸⁹ and died between 1939 and 1945 ^¹⁸⁹ about age 4.

Hugh next married Grace Mary Elizabeth Ambler, daughter of William Ambler and Unknown, on 31 Aug 1946 in Westminster, London ¹⁸⁹.^,222 The marriage ended in Divorce in 1963. Grace was born on 2 Sep 1918 and died in May 2003 in Dwyfor, Gwynedd at age 84.

Qui-Qui married Leslie Edward Grose, son of — — Grose and — — Foster. Leslie was born on 26 Mar 1919 in Edmonton, Middlesex ^²⁶³ and died in Jun 1996 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk at age 77.

Eileen married Ernest Harold Percy Greaves,¹⁸⁹ son of William Harold Greaves and Alice Maud Poole,²⁴⁹ in 1945 in Surrey.²³⁰ Harold was born on 15 Jun 1898 ^¹⁸⁹ and died on 7 Oct 1980 ^²⁴⁶ at age 82.

93 M iii. Thomas Waddell-Dudley was born on 15 Feb 1944 and died in Feb 1992 in London at age 48.

Mervyn married Reginald Sutherland Pilch ³⁸ in Sep 1938 ³⁸.^,236 Reginald was born on 7 Dec 1909 in Croydon, Surrey ^²⁶⁵ and died <1982> in Surrey ^²⁶⁶ at age 73.

Janet married Pietro Valdo Marchetti.³⁰ Pietro was born in 1919 ^³⁰ and died in 1985 ^³⁰ at age 66.

Seventh Generation

Anne married Michael Stevenson ¹⁹⁰ on 22 Apr 1949. The marriage ended in Divorce.

• Curriculum Vitae: circa 1990s, Jamaica. ²⁶⁷ Eileen wrote this CV to promote her executive placement business, probably sometime in the late1990s:-

"Eileen Kalbrener was born in Jamaica where her family has lived for nearly three hundred years.

One hundred and twenty five years ago her great grandfathers on both sides were politicians. She herself, however, never went into politics - a move today she sometimes regrets not having made.

She was educated in Jamaica, Europe and the United States.
At twenty-three with a 6 month old baby, £50.00 in the bank and a wonderfully supportive mother, she began her business career as a Advertising Copy-writer. She was to become a Director at McCann Erickson before leaving in 1969 to join the substantial I.C.D. Group, initially as Advertising Director and later as Marketing Co-ordinator for the Group. In the seven years between those engagements she carried out a most active marketing services consultants through her company, undertaking major assignments both here in Jamaica and abroad.

In 1988 after a two year sabbatical of travel, leisure, too much time on her hands, and missing the excitement of a busy office she went into a Joint venture with Deloite and Touche, international management consultants, on a three year contract, as Manager of their Executive Placement Bureau.

Today as the leading Jamaican ''headhunter'' she continues to head up her own Company with initiative and drive - successfully introducing outstanding young executives to opportunities in major Jamaican corporations.

She has been single, engaged, married, separated, divorced, involved, re-married, widowed, happily re-married and now widowed again - all in the space of an unknown number of years."

• Obituary: 29 Nov 2004, Kingston, Jamaica. ²⁶⁸ Jean Lowrie-Chin writing in the Jamaica Observer had this to say about Eileen:-

Eileen Kalbrener
Many Jamaican executives are remembering with affection a gracious lady who skilfully matched them with leading private-sector employers. The classy Eileen Kalbrener ran a small but powerful placement service and became a trusted consultant to most, if not all of Jamaica's blue-chip companies.

So beautiful was the young Eileen Bicknell, that heads turned when she entered Jamaica's advertising world some decades ago. So bright was she, that she later became the marketing marvel of the ICD Group in its heyday.

Eileen's parting wishes were in keeping with her understated style - no cards, letters or flowers, but we can honour her memory with a donation to her favourite charity, the JSPCA.

This brings back memories of Eileen, delighting in the colourful birds fluttering round the feeders in her backyard. She remains gentle on our minds, this lady who knew how to live.

Eileen married Thomas Howard Moore ¹⁸³ on 30 Oct 1951 in England ¹⁸³ ^,251.^,252 The marriage ended in Divorce in 1957. Thomas was born in 1911.^¹⁸³

Eileen next married John Louis Ward ¹⁸³ on 1 Aug 1966 in Kingston, Jamaica.²⁵² John was born on 28 Nov 1937,^¹⁸³ died on 4 Feb 1967 in Kingston Public Hospital, Jamaica ^¹⁸³ at age 29, and was buried <6 Feb 1967> in St. Jude's Church, Stony Hill, Kingston, Jamaica. The cause of his death was flying accident.¹⁸³

• Report of death: 6 Feb 1967, Kingston, Jamaica. ²⁷⁰ A local newspaper, probably The Daily Gleaner, gave this report of John's death under a photograph of him:-

MR. JOHN LOUIS WARD, 29-yearold student-pilot who died as a result of Friday morning's Piper Colt plane crash at Palisadoes Airport. Death came first to Captain Robert Dickson, 50-year-old pilot attached to the Air Wing of the Jamaican Defence Force on Friday night. Mr. Ward died in the Kingston Public Hospital on Saturday night, Mr. Ward, who was a solicitor, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and came to Jamaica with his parents, well-known golfers, Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Ward. He had identified himself with various forms of sports here and took up flying as a hobby.

• Obituary: <6 Feb 1967>, Kingston, Jamaica. ²⁷⁰ A local newspaper, probably The Daily Gleaner, published this obituary for John in its sports pages:-

John Ward was a
'true gentleman'

BY ALVA RAMSAY

THE TRAGIC death on Saturday night of John Ward as the result of an aeroplane accident on Friday must have shocked sportsmen and especially golfers throughout the island. Only a short week or so before, he had represented Jamaica vs. the University of Miami and played the best golf of his career to emerge the only island representative in the series that did not lose a match.

His passing will be a severe blow to Jamaica's chances of retaining the Hoerman Cup in the Bahamas in June next, as the form displayed by John seemed to have made him a certainty for our team.

He was due to play in the Western Championships at the Westmoreland Country Club which ended yesterday. Ever since news of the accident was received at the club, a gloom settled over the tournament and it was not known until yesterday morning that he had passed on.

Of John Ward, I will not say 'those whom the gods love die young', he was only 29; I will put it the other way: 'those who love the gods often seem to die young; for John was a young man of splendid character, a true gentleman, quiet and softspoken and so much unlike the brash modem type of youth that he seemed admirable material for the Church.

A fine sportsman, it might have been those unassuming ways and quietness that denied him the very topmost berth to which the quality of his golf entitled him. He was indeed a fine striker of the ball and a keen student of the game. A splendid brain his: at a comearly age he was able to obtain his M.A. degree in law at Cambridge University.

There are many memories of his golf that will crowd on the minds of his friends; but one I personally, will now long remember was his lone victory in the Hoerman Cup series for Jamaica in Port-of-Spain many years ago. Making his Cup debut in that series, John Ward stopped the indomitable Brian Grell when the other Jamaican giants were being bowled over by the foe.

He represented the island when Trinidad returned that visit and again did well. He has played vs. University of Miami on numerous occasions.

John Ward was born at Caracas, Venezuela on November 28, 1937; the son of the well-known golfers and sportsmen Leslie and Mrs. Ward. He received his elementary education at Lodge School, Barbados, later proceeding to Shrewsbury School, England, and Cambridge University where he obtained his M.A. degree in law.

While at Shrewsbury, he earned his colours at soccer, cricket and fives and was awarded his half colours at fives and golf at Cambridge University.

John came to Jamaica in 1950 with his parents and later became articled to Mr. O. H. Dunn of Messrs Dunn, Cox & Orrett. He was admitted to practice as a solicitor of the Supreme Court in Jamaica in January 1965, and joined the legal firm of Messrs. Clinton Hart & Company in July 1965.

In August 1966, he married Eileen daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bicknell. He identified himself with all forms of sport in Jamaica.

John Ward took up flying as a hobby from which he derived much pleasure.

Those who mourn his loss include his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Leslie Ward, his brother Bill, wife Eileen and stepson Robert Moore, as well as numerous relatives in Venezuela and England.

His funeral takes place at the St. Jude's Church, Stony Hill, at 5.45 p.m. today.

Eileen next married Lester Owen Kalbrener ¹⁸³ on 22 Jul 1972 in Webster Memorial Church, Half-Way Tree, Kingston, Jamaica.²⁵³ Karl was born on 7 Apr 1918 ^¹⁸³ and died on 3 Aug 1994 ^¹⁸³ at age 76.

General Notes: Karl was an engineer but later in his life he developed his artistic talents and became an accomplished painter of animals and birds. ¹⁸³ ^,192

Bridget married Peter Robert Westaway. Peter was born on 11 Dec 1943 and died on 31 Jan 2006 at age 62.

Cameron married Dawna Marilyn Howe,²⁴⁹ daughter of Philip Arthur Watson Howe and Kathleen Gardiner ———. The marriage ended in Divorce in 2003.

Eighth Generation

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